Floods

12:34 P.M. UPDATE | The second punch of a winter storm is expected tonight as temperatures are expected to plunge below zero. Most schools in the region are closed today.

Coshocton, Ohio remains under a Level 2 snow emergency. A Level 2 snow emergency means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roadways. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work.

Muskingum County is now under a Level 1 Snow Emergency, which means that roadways are hazardous with blowing and/or drifting snow, and may also be icy. Drivers are urged to travel with caution.

A wind chill advisory will be in effect from 4 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Saturday.

Bitter cold arctic air will move over the region today and remain into Friday night. The combination of cold and wind will bring wind chill readings from 10 to 25 degrees below zero starting late this afternoon.

A wind chill advisory means that very cold air and strong winds will combine to generate low wind chills. This will result in frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken. If you must venture outdoors, make sure you wear a hat and gloves.

Here's the morning forecast from the weather service's Pittsburgh office:

Today: Scattered snow showers, mainly before 11 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 12. Wind chill values as low as -9. West wind between 8 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -7. Wind chill values as low as -20. West wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 6. Wind chill values as low as -21. West wind between 8 and 15 mph.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 1. Wind chill values as low as -10. Southwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.

Saturday: A chance of snow, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. South wind between 6 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Saturday night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Sunday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Sunday night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Monday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent

By KANTELE FRANKO – 10 hours ago

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Blizzard warnings were posted across the Northern Plains early Monday as a bitterly cold wallop of snow threatens the region, while residents of the Midwest and Northeast dug out after their own tussles with weekend storms.

Arctic air was to dip down from Canada and spread snow into Montana, the Dakotas and Minnesota before marching into the Midwest, South and Northeast by the end of the week.

Parts of the Midwest and Northeast were already trying to handle up to a foot of snow that caused two large vehicle pileups — a 59-vehicle crash in New Hampshire and another in Connecticut that involved 13 vehicles. There were at least four weekend traffic fatalities.

Most residents in New England heeded the authorities' warnings to stay off roads after the storm dumped up to 9 inches of snow in some areas in Massachusetts and sleet and freezing rain across Rhode Island. Some communities declared snow emergencies to help cleanup crews plow streets.

In New Hampshire, three buses and two tractor-trailer rigs were among 59 vehicles that crashed on snowy Interstate 93, sending a dozen people to hospitals Sunday morning and temporarily shutting down a stretch of the highway's northbound lanes.

None of the injuries were life threatening, but it took emergency crews about an hour to remove one man from a car wedged under the back of a tractor trailer, Derry Fire Battalion Chief Jack Webb said.

A car that slid on ice caused a 13-car pileup Sunday afternoon near Greenwich, Conn., sending two people to the hospital and closing the northbound side of Interstate 95 for two hours. Police said no serious injuries were reported.

A Maryland teen was killed Sunday when he lost control of his SUV on an icy road and ran into a telephone pole near Union Mills. Authorities in Michigan said a 49-year-old man died when his snowmobile collided with a snow plow Saturday in Dorr Township. Motorists also died Saturday in Illinois and Indiana.

The snow was a boon to Ohio ski resorts, which called it a stimulus package for their industry.

"We've been in business for 47 years and — this is what I can't believe — yesterday was by far the best gross sales day we've ever had," said George Shaffer, area manager of the Alpine Valley ski resort east of Cleveland in Geauga County, where 11 inches of snow fell.

A transportation department worker in Delaware suffered a broken leg Sunday when an SUV plowed through a section of highway near Wilmington that had been closed because of icy conditions.

The National Weather Service reported 8 inches of snow at Blissfield and Morenci in Michigan, and more than 6 inches of snow fell on Detroit. The service also issued a winter storm watch across Michigan for Monday night through Tuesday.

The Pacific Northwest remained on alert with three flooded rivers in Washington, where state officials were assessing the damage from heavy rain and melting snow on roads and property.

National Guard troops were deployed in Lewis County, which was one of the state's hardest hit counties by flooding, said Rob Harper, a spokesman for the state division of Emergency Management.